The start() method of the MessagePort interface starts the sending of messages queued on the port. This method is only needed when using EventTarget.addEventListener; it is implied when using MessageChannel.onmessage.
Note: This feature is available in Web Workers.
Syntax
port.start()
Returns
Void.
Parameters
None.
Example
In the following code block, you can see a handleMessage handler function, run when a message is sent back to this document using onmessage:
channel.port1.onmessage = handleMessage;
function handleMessage(e) {
para.innerHTML = e.data;
}
Note: For a full working example, see our channel messaging basic demo on Github (run it live too).
Another option would be to do this using EventTarget.addEventListener, however, when this method is used, you need to explicitly call start() to begin the flow of messages to this document:
channel.port1.addEventListener('message', handleMessage, false);
function handleMessage(e) {
para.innerHTML = e.data;
textInput.value = '';
}
channel.port1.start();
Specifications
| Specification | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| WHATWG HTML Living Standard The definition of 'start()' in that specification. |
Living Standard | No difference from HTML5 Web Messaging. |
| HTML5 Web Messaging The definition of 'start()' in that specification. |
Recommendation | W3C version of the spec |
Browser compatibility
| Feature | Chrome | Edge | Firefox (Gecko) | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari (WebKit) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic support | 4 | (Yes) | (Yes) | 10.0 | 10.6 | 5 |
| Available in workers | (Yes) | ? | 41 (41) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) |
| Feature | Android | Chrome for Android | Edge | Firefox Mobile (Gecko) | Firefox OS (Gecko) | IE Phone | Opera Mobile | Safari Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic support | 4.4 | 4 | (Yes) | No support | No support | 10.0 | 11.5 | 5.1 |
| Available in workers | (Yes) | (Yes) | ? | 41.0 (41) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) |
See also
Document Tags and Contributors
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stevenwdv,
nmve,
libbymc,
Sebastianz,
chrisdavidmills,
fscholz,
kscarfone
Last updated by:
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